Pansarbil m/39
The Pansarbil m/39 or Lynx was a Swedish 4x4 armoured car that AB Landsverk began developing in 1937 for the Danish Army.
| Pansarbil m/39 | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Type | Armored car |
| Place of origin | Sweden |
| Service history | |
| Used by | Denmark Sweden Dominican Republic |
| Wars | World War II Dominican Civil War |
| Production history | |
| Designer | AB Landsverk |
| Manufacturer | AB Landsverk, Volvo |
| Produced | 1939-1941 |
| No. built | 48 |
| Specifications | |
| Mass | 7.8 t |
| Length | 5.1 m |
| Width | 2.28 m |
| Height | 2.2 m |
| Crew | 6 |
| Armor | up to 13 mm |
Main armament | Madsen 20 mm cannon or Bofors 20 mm m/40 cannon |
Secondary armament | 3 x 8mm Ksp m/39 light machine gun |
| Engine | Scania-Vabis (m/39) or Volvo (m/40) 6-cylinder petrol 135-142 hp |
| Power/weight | 16.6-17.5 hp/t |
| Suspension | 4 x 4 |
Operational range | 200 km |
| Maximum speed | 70 km/h |
The Lynx had a low slung body with well sloped, but thin, armour. The 140 hp Scania-Vabis petrol engine was in the middle on the left side. The crew consisted of six troops; a forward driver and hull machine gunner, two similar positions in the rear hull, and two crew in the revolving turret which mounted a 20mm Madsen cannon and a coaxial light machine gun.
Three vehicles were delivered to Denmark in April 1938, but a further batch of fifteen were still awaiting delivery to Copenhagen when World War II broke out in 1939. These were then confiscated by the Swedes who employed them as the Pansarbil m/39 and ordered a further thirty units for the Swedish Army. As Landsverk lacked the capacity, the new batch was manufactured by Volvo, and hence powered by a Volvo engine, designated Pansarbil m/40.
All Swedish cars were fitted with a Bofors 20 mm akan m/40 automatic cannon instead of the Madsen.
In 1956, 13 of the m/39s were sold to the Dominican Republic.
Further reading
- Leland Ness (2002) Jane's World War II Tanks and Fighting Vehicles: The Complete Guide, Harper Collins, London and New York, ISBN 978-0-00-711228-9